The Government freezes a tender due to a misasked question to the Congress Bureau (Photo Nico Martínez)

A question wrong to the Bureau of Congress, by the NPV spokesman, has led the Government to freeze a bid from the Ministry of Defence, published in the BOE on 13 August, for the construction of a boat of race for a sum of 1,500,000 euros. (see invitation to tender 1196 / 2023)

And I say that it is misformulated, and it can lead to confusion, because the Member in question argues that the new ship that is for a private activity of the Head of State. I understand that by pure ignorance of matter, so I will explain to Mr Esteban why this is not exactly so. For your information, and for those who are not so in the world of the races in Spain, I tell you:

The ships of race of the Spanish Navy are neither of activity nor private use of anyone, nor of the Head of State itself, as stated in the question. To participate in some races the King does not mean that the ship is neither yours nor is built only for him.

The sailing sport in the Navy is organized in Naval Regatas Commissions located in different areas of Spain, and the sailing also plays an essential role in the training of the students of the Military Naval School, as it allows them to learn about navigation and develop skills for teamwork and decision-making. Students regularly participate in light sailing and cruise races as part of their training.

It would be a question of whether new aircraft are being built for the Eagle Patrol, in the event that in the day the Head of State would have flown one of these planes at some exhibition. This matter goes beyond who is flying the plane or patrolling the ship, as the pattern of the Aifos is Admiral Jaime Rodríguez Touges, not the King.

The Navy is the great school that has had the sailing in Spain for more than half a century. The creation of the Naval Commission of Regatas served from the beginning to allow hundreds of athletes to start in the world of sailing and racing, whether in light sailing through the Snipe class and the cruise.

This is why the Spanish Navy has a total of 43 boats of race, the Aifos is one more, and they serve as instruction to sailing, distributed in the Naval School of Marin and the Naval Commissions of Regatas de Ferrol, Cadiz, Cartagena, Baleares and Canarias. (see list of Navy sailing boats).

Its participation in the various competitions, especially at the national and regional levels, has become a common event in sport, participating in the main national races in Andalusia, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Comunitat Valenciana, Galicia and Melilla.

The Navy considers that having a high competition sailing cruise is important for its prestige, as it allows it to maintain a relevant role in the sailing sport. He also notes that he has not acquired any competition sailing boats in years, which limits his ability to participate in first-level races with high technical and sports requirements for several consecutive days.

The last ship the Navy built was the current Aifos, 20 years ago. This is a Transpac 52 which was launched in 2004, and which was a spear to be born in Europe this class and which gave a boost not only to the Spanish candle, but to the world. The evolution to that primitive MedCup circuit has derived what are today the 52 Super Series, in which the best regatists in the world participate. This ship is the current Aifos and that after much work and effort, the Spanish Navy managed to return to being a competitive ship to the point that it has been in the first positions in the King's Cup and the Queen's Trophy.

He has been a pioneer since the first Sirius and Aifos, a reference ship where it was common to watch them sail in races such as the Count of Godó Trophy, the King's Cup, the Queen's Trophy, Melilla's Nautical Week, and Santa Maria's Port Nautical Week, among others. It also participates with the various ships of the Naval Commissions in races such as the Discoveries Race, a journey that unites Spain and Portugal across the sea.

For the new ship the Navy plans to invest 1.5 million euros in the acquisition of a new sailing boat to compete in races. This new ship will replace the Aifos 500. The decision to replace the Aifos 500 is based on economic and safety aspects, as high-level competitions subject the ship to significant tensions that may be dangerous to the safety of the crew and the integrity of the ship.

The objective of the Navy is to maintain a high level of sailing competition, as this contributes favourably to the prestige of the institution and strengthens ties with the maritime community, including the marine of recreation and sailing.

The contest, now paralyzed, says that the new sailboat would have a length of about 50 feet, a maximum sleeve of 4.70 meters, a three-metre driveway and a displacement of 8,700 kg. With a vile plane of 400 square meters and equipped with motorization, double-reed governance system and a single rudder. The budget includes not only the boat itself, but also the machinery, equipment and systems on board.

Jaume Soler, nautical journalist
https: / / tripulante18.com / la-armada-ve@-@ truncate-for-now-his-expectativa-de-build-a-new-barco-de-regatas /